In order to free medical supply from dependence on unreliable foreign sources of opium poppy, we propose to investigate the total synthesis of morphine and codeine, aiming to develop an economical synthesis suitable for practical large-scale production. The synthetic plans are derived from a systematic approach to synthesis design which seeks to examine all possibilities within defined limits and so assure the most economical plans for exploration. The best two plans have been begun and both have now been shown to create the full morphine skeleton in only four steps. We propose to complete these two syntheses, expecting total sequences of only ten steps in each.